Another Tale of Miraculous Ladybug
by Water-Lily-Princess
Summary: An akumatized villain is slicing through Paris with their blade of death and the city calls upon their beloved heroes: Ladybug and Cat Noir. Will they be able to face this challenge on their own? What will they do if one of them is in grave danger?
1. The Miraculous Holder

She was down but she was not out. Ladybug had been here before, laying on the ground by the river after her enemy flung her aside. She should have been more careful. She should have calculated the angle better.

She didn't have time to worry about the 'should haves' though. The enemy was going to return and now was her chance to use her-  
"Lucky Charm!"

As the magical yo-yo flung into the air, their enemy burst through a cloud of blue smoke and swiped at the string with their blade. Ladybug shrieked, trying to yank it back in time but the string severed and the loose yo-yo went soaring above the river. Then, with a nauseating plop! It fell into the water, disappearing into the deep. A thundercloud loomed over the Eiffel Tower as though the entire city itself were suddenly struck by the same gloomy forebode that settled in Ladybug's fragile heart.

"Bugaboo?"

She was already dreading what would come next from her feline friend, who watched the incident from her side.

"What exactly happens if it, you know, breaks?"  
"Not now, Cat Noir, look out!"

Ladybug dived beneath the safety of the bridge with her partner. They tumbled into the shadows where they huddled on guard, watching for the villain to reappear. Blue and black dust remained in the spot from which they leapt.

"We can't fight them if we can't get a hold of them!"  
"And what do you suggest we do about that Milady?"

"I'm not sure," Ladybug hesitated. All of her heroic answers were sinking to the bottom of the river. She pinned her back to the wall and hoped that her speckled vision would come. Instead, Cat Noir entered her view.

"Cat Noir," she whined. "I'm trying to think this through and you're not helping me!"  
"I'm sorry if I'm rushing you but we need an option before we're turned into dust! I'm not ready to become kitty litter!"

"Without my Lucky Charm I can't do anything, Cat Noir!"

Cat Noir took her by the chin to turn her face toward his and gave her an honest yet stern glare.

"You can do anything," he told her, "you're Ladybug."

"Cat Noir," Ladybug's voice trickled under the bridge like dripping water, a sweet somber sound. She wasn't sure if those words were enough to break her from this funk, but it did remind her that she had something more valuable than her powers alone. It was her courage, her confidence, and her ability to know when the problem was greater than herself.

"Do you think you can hold them off, Cat Noir?" She whispered.

"Me?" Cat Noir asked as he popped his head out from under the bridge, which he quickly regretted as a ball of dust came whirling at his face. He ducked to avoid it.

"Anything for you Milady but please, please, please hurry," he begged.

Ladybug reassured him with a gentle squeeze on his shoulder to which he smiled at her.

"I promise," she said.

Without her yo-yo she would have to travel by another means: on foot. Or, as she inspected her surroundings, she realized that she could swim there, if there was an adequate distraction to muse their villain.

"Cat Noir, I need you to distract them," she said, "Go on top of the bridge and do your thing."

"My thing? Am I just your cat toy Milady?" Cat Noir hesitated and pointed out at the open river.

"You expect me to distract something I can't even see?"

He groaned when she tilted her head in a hopeful nod. Then, he grabbed his pole from his belt and held it readily in both hands.

"Thanks, Cat Noir," she thanked him with a kiss on the cheek.

"You're the best."

Cat Noir's confidence had been recharged by her little peck so he gave her one last wink before jumping out from under the bridge. He stood atop the stone ledge above their hiding place, extended the pole and waved it like a baseball bat at the balls of dust that spiraled toward him.

"Come on," he taunted. "Is that all you've got? I've played baseball before you know. How about a curveball or a fast ball? Kitty wants to play!"

Ladybug rolled her eyes as she tiptoed from their spot. It would be faster if she could make it by foot since she lost her breathing device to the river. She crept along the river's edge while Cat Noir played with the villain. When she felt safe enough to run, she turned her back on the scene and dashed toward the one place she knew would have the answers she lacked.

"Ladybug!" Cat Noir shouted.

The villain spotted her from afar and chased at her heels while her back was turned. Cat Noir followed alongside the street, calling to her as he ran. She didn't hear him, she didn't hear the villain as their carved blade rose above her. Cat Noir threw his pole to the ground.

Ladybug began to turn as the blade dove toward her ear, a stream of black and blue dust trailing behind it.

Cat Noir vaulted from his spot.

She shut her eyes and threw her arms up to defend her identity.

"Honestly Milady, you thought I wouldn't come to your rescue?"

Ladybug opened her eyes and found Cat Noir standing, with his arms out, in front of her. His head was turned to her, a painful smile spread across his face.

"C-cat Noir," she breathed. "You-"  
"N-no time to talk, run!"  
"But Cat-"  
"I said run!"

Ladybug began to run but her heart was heavy with guilt. The blade had struck through his side and that hand would be ready to swipe his ring the minute she left. She couldn't let them win, not like this. She returned to his aid, scooping him up by the arms and using him as a temporary shield as she escaped to the bridge where she could lay him safely on the ground. Blood seeped through his costume, pooling onto the cobblestone beneath him.

"I-I guess he made his point," Cat Noir chuckled breathlessly. Ladybug couldn't even retaliate with her usual sarcastic remark, not while she was staring at her suffering partner. She took his hand in her own.

"I can't leave you here now," she pleaded with him, knowing that he would resist her, which he did. He pushed her hand toward her chest.

"I've been defeated before," he reminded her. "I'll be fine. I trust you to make everything okay in the end."

"And what if I can't?" She mumbled worriedly.

"Then that would kind of suck wouldn't it?" He teased. "And this would be a lot more painful."

Ladybug shook her head at his attempt to lessen the impact of their grave situation.

"If they get your miraculous-" she started.

"They won't."

Cat Noir suspended his shaky hands as he took a hold of the ring between his fingers.

"No!"  
Ladybug placed her hand over his to stop him. They couldn't know who each other was, it would only make this more dangerous.

"Cat Noir be reasonable. We can't know our secret identities. What if-"  
"What if what Milady?"

Cat Noir's tired eyes convinced her to lesson her grip. Neon green light circled around his ring finger as he slid the miraculous off. Ladybug moved to stop him but he gave her a charming smile to calm her nerves.

"I'll need you to keep it safe. We don't want," he paused for a breath. "We don't want Hawkmoth getting a hold of it a-and... and you're the only one I trust t-...to keep it safe."

Ladybug cupped her hands to receive his miraculous despite the unease pumping through her veins. Cat Noir dropped the ring in her hands. The green light spread across his figure but when Adrien opened his tired eyes, Ladybug had gone, leaving a trail of dusty footprints on the cobblestone.

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	2. The Project

Monday morning had start like any other. Marinette shot out of bed when her alarm blared for the sixth time which, mean that she would be late, again. She scrambled from her bed, Tikki buzzing at her side.

"N-not again!" she cried through a mouthful of foaming toothpaste as she scrubbed her teeth clean.

Tikki giggled at her frantic master, "You'll never learn Marinette."

Marinette spit into the sink and whined.

"Don't tell me today is _that_ day, is it Tikki?"

"I won't remind you if you don't want me to," Tikki said in a cautious tone. "But I think you already know that answer."

Marinette hopped into her jeans as he carried her pens in her mouth and her backpack on her elbow. The cuffs of her half-sleeved jacket here unfolded and her collar was popped up around her neck when she went to the kitchen for breakfast. Her mother tucked her collar in for her while she stuffed a piece of buttered toast in her mouth.

"Love you Mom!" She called through her bite.

"We love you too dear! Stay safe! Try to get there on time!"

The Parisian morning was like a fresh baked pastry. A decadent sweetness floated through the air as if it the wind were dusted with sugar. Footsteps tapped on the sidewalk like a ticking timer and the sun rose above the buildings, glazing them in its light. The river battered against the stone banks which were coated in green velvet moss. People were no longer rushing to get to work after eight in the morning, except for Marinette, who was dashing along the sidewalk toward the school.

She was stopped by the crosswalk where the traffic signal blinking green at the oncoming cars. She hopped on both feet, muttering under her breath anxiously.

"Come on, come on, come on…!"

Tikki poked her head out of the pouch on Marinette's hip.

"Don't worry, Marinette," she said to comfort her, "Everyone will understand."

"No! This is a disaster Tikki! Today is the most important day of my life! We're being assigned partners in class and we're going to work  
with them on a unique fashion design. _Together_! Do you know what this means Tikki?"

"That you might be partnered with Adrien?" Tikki asked.

"It means that I might be partners with _Adrien_!" Marinette sung his name as it passed her lips. She stopped bouncing on the street corner to swoon, cupping her heart with both hands.

"Marinette?"

"Yes Tikki?"

"You can cross now."

"Agh!" Marinette shrieked and stumbled into the road. She ran to the gates of their school where she bent over her knees to catch her breath. The school bell must have already rung because there was no one to be found in the courtyard. Marinette swallowed her nerves and strolled into her classroom with false confidence, which immediately crumbled when she caught everyone's attention.

"There you are, Marinette," Adrien greeted her with a friendly smile, even though he sat beside Chloe Bourgeois, the nastiest girl in school. Marinette released a groan that made her heart rattle in her chest.

"Your partner will be Lucy, go on Marinette," her teacher said as she gestured to the last open seat beside a classmate with braided brown pigtails and glasses. Marinette tried to give her classmate an encouraging smile but she couldn't justify it. She sat in defeat with her new partner, some no-name girl she probably said two or three words to in passing.

From across the room, Alya and Nino gave her an apologetic shrug in response to her pleading eyes. Marinette threw her head on the table.

"Marinette, are you okay?" Her groupmate asked cautiously, her hand hovering over Marinette's back in uncertain stiffness. She wanted to comfort her temporary partner but there was little she could do for the pouting girl.

* * *

"How fair is that?" Marinette asked to the locker as she slammed it shut.

"Chloe! _Chloe_ gets to work with him!"

"It's not that bad Marinette," Tikki reassured, her tiny bobble head poking out of the purse on her hip. Marinette gave her a fleeting glance.

"It's bad," she grumbled, "it's the end of the world, my world, where Adrien and I get married, have 3 kids and a cat...no, a hamster."

Even the fantasies she slept on weren't enough to pull her from this funk. She left the locker room with her head hung low and her backpack straps gripped in her hands.

"We were going to name it Ralph," she said sadly.

As she dragged her feet to the school gates after the last class of the day, her partner ran to catch up to her. She hesitated at the thought of what to say after seeing Marinette look so down. Perhaps an ice cream would cheer her up.

"Marinette? Would you like to go get something to eat? And maybe, we could work on our project together?" She asked with a hopeful smile. Marinette responded through a nervous, half-hearted chuckle.

"Project? Oh right! That one, yeah, do you think we could meet up on another night?" she offered.

"My parent's have a really, _really_ big order at the bakery tonight and it's going to be a mess, I'll probably have to help them. It wouldn't be fair to you if I had to leave you to work all alone for that."

She lied through her teeth, almost. Her parent's had a huge order to deliver and yes, sometimes she worked as their sous-chef, but her parents would never put her academic needs second to their bakery. Her partner, whatsername, didn't need to know that though.

"Oh! Let me give you my number so you can text me just in case," her partner pulled her phone out to check her number then read it aloud for Marinette to type.

"That way we can set a better time, when you're not busy."

 _When am I not busy?_ Marinette thought as she texted the number to get the contact. They departed on the school steps with little smiles and Marinette walked home. She wanted to text Alya to hang out, or Juleka, Rose, anyone! They would all be working on their projects, she figured, so she decided against bothering them.

"It wouldn't be a terrible idea to help my parents with the bakery," she said aloud for Tikki to pick up on.

"Marinette, you should really work with that girl on the project when you can, cause there might be a time when you really can't help and then she'll have to do it all alone. The life of a superhero is erratic. You never know when you'll have to go spring into action. The best thing to do is get your work done when you have the chance."

"I will, I will," Marinette groaned. "You sound like my parents Tikki."

Marinette crossed the road she scrambled across earlier that morning. A car blared their horn at her when they ran the light and narrowly missed flattening her on the pavement. She jumped at the sound, flew to the post and breathed a sigh of relief.

"The last thing I need today, is to be a squashed bug," She said as she hugged the post where Adrien's picture was stamped on it's side. She saw it there when she opened her eyes.

"Or maybe it's the best thing. I'm sorry I was late Adrien, I should have set another alarm."

She let go of the post after a gentle squeeze for reassurance. There would be more projects, she thought, so she shouldn't be worked up about this one. She was worked up though and she knew herself enough to assume that she wouldn't be able to focus on the project tonight anyway. Instead, she sat in her bedroom with her stereo on while she penciled in some personal designs she had been sitting on the past few weeks.

"I feel bad, Tikki, but I don't even want to think about that project," Marinette muttered through her palm which rested across her face as she leaned over her notebook.

"Sometimes you have to do the things you don't want to do in order to do what you want later," Tikki lectured from her little toy bed that Marinette built for her.

"That's what being a true hero is. Someone that pushes through the obstacles!"

"I will get through it," Marinette reassured her. "It's just, I have to be in the right place to do it."

"You can't put it off forever Marinette," Tikki warned.

"I won't! I would never do that, Tikki. Now, what do you think of this one?"

Marinette held up her picture for Tikki to praise as she usually did. She listened to each point Tikki suggest for the next sketch and jotted them down on her list of "improvements". Then she started on the next design.

Her parents checked in on her, brought her dinner and gave her kisses goodnight before heading to bed. Marinette pumped out sketch after sketch, tossing crumpled papers into the rubbish bin when they weren't meeting her expectations. Then she thought about her project, the one she put off that night like she would the rest of the week with more blubbering excuses.

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 **Note: These chapters may/may not be edited/lengthened over time.**

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